In a Lancaster-Lebanon League boys' basketball game on the road, the Pequea Valley Braves kept pace with Lancaster Country Day on Thursday, January 12. The Cougars' dominant second quarter, in which they outscored the Braves 20-5, proved to be the difference in a 68-44 final. Pequea Valley fell to 2-11 (0-2 league).

"We struggled with their zone defense," Braves head coach Thad Rittenhouse explained. "They were trapping us and causing us to commit a lot of turnovers."

The second half of this game was much different than the first. The Braves inched close, but couldn't overcome the deficit.

Country Day's Toby Ashby led all scorers with 25 points. Christian Hoin added 15.

"If we learn to take care of the ball better and get through that pressure, we would be in games a lot more," Rittenhouse remarked.

Leading the Braves in scoring was Myles Furlong. The junior's jump shots from three-point range were on target four times to account for his 12 points. Joerick Irizarry and Hugh Johnson each nailed a three-point bucket as well, each finishing with seven points on the night.

"Myles is one of our better shooters," Rittenhouse said. "He is getting back into the swing of things more and more after starting slow this year due to an injury."

The Pequea boys' basketball team put up some impressive numbers on offense in a non-league contest at Susquenita on Saturday. The Braves nearly blanked the Blackhawks in the first quarter, carrying a 21-4 lead into the second stanza. The visiting Braves regained momentum coming out of the locker room for the second half, outscoring the Blackhawks 32-21 en route to a 63-39 win.

"Our guys went out and played very well," said Rittenhouse. "We did a very good job with our press.

"We had several fast breaks in this game," continued the coach. "Something has been a struggle for us. But with the pressure we gave them, it turned into some turnovers for them and opportunities for us to get easy buckets. We did a better job scoring."

Speaking of scoring, Irizarry was finding the open shots to the count of 23 points - seven field goals and nine free throws.

"Irizarry is one of our best ball handlers," Rittenhouse said. "He's the toughest guy the opposing teams have to defend. Some of the other coaches have commented that he's a challenge to other teams because they have to double up on him. He's pretty quick and able to penetrate."

Jackson Neff made three treys, compiling nine points. Nathan Blank finished eight. A total of 10 Pequea players got into the scoring column, including Luke Rogers (6 pts)

"Luke is starting to come into his own as our center," added Rittenhouse.

Pequea fell to Columbia 55-34 on the road Tuesday night in L-L League action. While holding the Braves to single-digit scoring in three of the four periods, the Crimson Tide somehow managed to hold Irizarry to only nine points. Neff scored six points while both Blank and Rogers finished with five.

GIRLS' BASKETBALL

Dating back to the non-league home game with Biglerville back on December 21, adding the Brandywine Heights Holiday Tournament games and the L-L League and non-league games since New Year's Day, the Pequea girls' basketball team had won eight straight games. The defeats that bookended this win streak were both at the hands of Section Four foe Columbia.

The Braves fell to 13-2 (4-2 league) following their 47-32 loss at home to Columbia on Tuesday, January 17. The Braves trailed by only seven heading into the final period where the Crimson Tide (5-0 league) went on a 17-9 run.

Shania Stoltzfus, who connected on three three-point field goals, led the Braves with 15 points. Anae Patterson put up eight points.

Brooke and Brie Droege led Columbia with 16 and 13 points, respectively.

Pequea posted a 54-35 win at Susquenita on Saturday in a non-league game. Patterson, a freshman, led the team in scoring with 16 points, including a 6-for-7 game at the free throw line. Breanne Beiler poured in 10 points while senior Sarah Arment contributed eight.

"We will press and run you all over the floor," Jason McDonald, the PV head coach, said of the team's style of play. "It's just when we get to half court, it's different. I think we're forcing like 24 turnovers a game.

"Our leaders are awesome," he added. "We told them why we were doing what we are doing this year. It makes us more skilled and creative offensively.

"We've also been rebounding the ball better and just playing fundamentally sound basketball," McDonald added.

That offense was in high gear on Thursday, January 12 as Pequea outscored Lancaster Country Day 65-51. The visiting Cougars, led by Genesis Meadows with 35 points, outscored the Braves 41-33 in the second half,

Patterson swooshed in three treys and finished with a team-high 17. Shania Stoltzfus scored nine while both Morgan Graham and Peyton Henshaw scored eight points.